Posthuman Subjectivity in the Novels of J.G. Ballard (Routledge Studies in Speculative Fiction)

By: Carolyn Lau

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Synopsis: This book proposes that Ballard’s novels extrapolate the formation of a posthuman subjectivity that is centred around an affirmative understanding of what a human body can do. This new subjectivity transforms constraints and prescribed desires into creative openings in a hyper-mediated control society that conditions docile bodies through technology and consumerism. Set in surrealist predicaments in postwar affluent Western societies, Ballard’s novels remind us of the fragile veneer of order in the familiar every day. In these moments of crisis, complacent characters are compelled to undergo a process of defamiliarisation and transformation of their understanding of the self and the body. The ability to form new relationships with the unfamiliar is imperative to survival in a hostile environment. Ballard delineates both the possibilities and obstacles of forming these relationships. In particular, the author attributes the failure to do so to the irreconcilable contradictions of late capitalism.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 248 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9781000912371
Related ISBNs:: 9781032188140, 9781003412250, 9781000912340
Publisher:: Taylor & Francis
Date of Addition:: 04/16/24
Copyrighted By:: Carolyn Lau
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: Nonfiction, Literature and Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Language Arts, Politics and Government
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.